Improvement in automatic-telegraph perforator and transmitter



T. A. EDISON. Automatic Telegraph Perforator and Transmitter.

No. 200,994. Patented March 5,1878.

N. PETERS. FHOTO-UTHDGRAPNER, WASHINGTON. D (Iv UNITED STATES PATENTOEEIcE.

THOMAS ALEDISON, OF MENLQ PARK, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC-TELEGRAPH PERFORATOR AND TRANSMITTER.

Specification forming-part of Letters Patent No. 200,994, dated March 5,1878 application filed November 11, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

I Be it known that I, THOMAS A. EnIsoN, of Menlo Park, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented'an Improvement inTelegraphs, of which the following is a specification:

The object of this invention is to transmit Morse characters over alocal circuit or telegraph-line by any of the usual methods, and recordthe same simultaneously and automatically by perforating a strip ofpaper, which strip, so perforated, serves to retransmit the same messageover other circuits or lines.

By this improvement a record of the message can be made at thetransmitting or receiving station, or at any intermediate station, bythe perforated paper, without obstructing the operation of the line, andthat strip can be used for subsequent automatic transmission.

I make use of a shaft revolved, preferably, by an electric engine, andoperating a paperfeed and a punch, the feed taking place when the punchis out of the paper, and there is a coupler between the power and thepunch for connecting or disconnecting the latter, which coupler isoperated by an electro-magnet, so that the message, passing through themagnet, will be eifective in operating the perforator, and theperforated strip serves as a record, or it can be used forretransmission.

The invention further consists in the mechanism for retransmitting themessage from the perforated strip.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the punchingmechanism, and Fig. 2 is a plan of the complete apparatus.

a is the punch. b is the die between which the paper passes from theroll uponthe arm a.

dis the spiral spring which aids in withdrawing the punch from thepaper. The bearings of the punch are f and g. c is acoupler, secured tothe punch at h, and provided with a notch at its extreme end. Thecoupler is moved up and down by the lever of the magnet m.

k is a pivoted lever, provided with two pron gs at its end, one ofwhich, an, catches in the notch on 0 when the lever of the magnet isattracted, thus connecting the coupler e to m. The other prong of k isconnected by the link and joint n to the eccentric 10 upon theengineshaft a. r is the paper-feeding lever, also connected to theengine-shaft by an eccentric, s.

The eccentric p is set at one hundred and eighty degrees, or nearly so,to the eccentric s, so that the punch enters the paper while thefeed-lever is drawing back, and the punch comes out of the paper just asthe feed-lever commences to move the paper forward, thus producing anaccurate timing of the punching and feeding devices.

The electric engine m for actuating the punch and paper-feed, is in thecircuit 3 4 of a local battery.

The feed-lever r is provided with points, which engage with the paperand allow it to be carried forward. t is a click, which prevents thepaper from receding when 1' is drawn back.

The operation isas follows: When the circuit in which the magnet m isplaced is open, the coupler c is thrown upward, and the punch remainsout of the paper, and receives no move- -ment; but the paper-feed rcontinues to move magnet becomes energized, its lever is attracted, andthe coupler e is brought down upon the prong m, locked to it, andimmediately the punch reciprocates rapidly, passes through and out ofthe paper. The first movement punches a hole the same size as the punch,but thereafter, and so long as the magnet m is closed, punches onlycrescent-shaped pieces at each movement, as the paper-feed is only afraction of the distance covered by the punch; hence an elongated slotor perforation is made, its length depending upon the length of timethat m is energized. Immediately that the circuit containing m isbroken, the coupler e is thrown out of contact with m, the punch ceasesto be reciprocated, while the lever r continues to feed the paper, thusforming the spaces.

As the engine-shaft n makes several thousand revolutions per minute, theperforated receiving-instrument, battery, and finger-key, and themessage transmitted to said distant instrument corresponds to themessage perforated in the strip of paper by the punch a. After the striphas been punched it is passed through the transmitting or translatingmachine, which consists of a drum, a, provided with a slot around itswhole circumference, and in its center.

b is the rollerfor pressing the paper against the drum, so that it maybe carried forward. 0 is a forked spring, used for holding the paperagainst the drum, and also to gripe the end of the paper as its end ispassed between the spring and the drum. 9 is a pinionwheel, engagingwith a worm, g, upon the shaft of the electric engine n, and said engineis in a circuit, 7 S, of a local battery. m is a governor, which, as thespeed increases, causes the lever k to be withdrawn from I, thusbreaking the circuit in which the engine is placed.

By the use of the worm and pinion a very even rotation of the drum a isattained, while allowing great rapidity of rotation of the electricengine, which is desirable, and by the use of the electric governor anyrequired speed is easily attained. The circuit-breaking devices consistof a duplex spring, e d, and thewires 9 10, connecting with e d, formpart of the circuit to a distant station, to which the message is to beretransmitted. e is provided with a V-point somewhat smaller than theslot in the periphery of the drum a. This point is in line with theperforated characters, and when resting on the paper the extreme end ofe, which is tipped with platina, is separated from the point 1" of d;but when a perforation passes under the point on e, the said pointenters into the slot in the drum, bringing the end. of e in contact withr, closing the circuit, which is again broken the moment the paperintervenes between the point of e and the drum. f is a screw foradjusting the contact-points to or from the drum a.

I will mention that the electric engines might be displaced, both in thepuncher and in the transmitter, byclock-work, or by tuning forks orreeds set in motion by electromagnets-in the case of the puncher oneprong serving to actuate the punch, while the other prong would actuatethe paper-feed, and in the case of the transmitter the tuning-forkcould, by a suitable toothed wheel and click, give practically acontinuous rotation to the drum, the speed being regulated by movableweights on the prongs of the fork, or by double pressure-springs.

I will also mention that if the puncher is to be used merely forpreparing the paper for transmission, the locking-coupler 6 might beactuated by a movement derived from a Morse key, without the use ofelectricity; and where great speed is required in perforating, the shaftupon which the eccentrics are placed might be rotated by hand, a smallpulley being secured to the shaft, which would be connected to a verylarge one by a belt or geared by toothed wheels, and the whole set inmotion by hand or foot power.

I will also mention that an absolute look like the lever e and prong mis not absolutely requisite when considerable power is used to revolvethe eccentrics, for if plenty of power is used, as with hand-power, thespiral spring d around the punch can be strengthened and made to drawthe punch out without aid from the eccentric-lever, and the mereinsertion of a wedge between the end of m and a continuation of thepunch a will serve to actuate the punch. Such wedge is free to bewithdrawn at each revolution of the shaft carrying the eccentric, andthere is but little movement; hence a very weak power will suflice tothrow the wedge in and out.

I will also mention that the punch and paper-feedin g mechanism may bereciprocated continuously, and the characters formed by using a movabledie and. paper-feeding wheel, both of which can be brought toward thepunch and feed-click by an electro-magnet, or by hand. It is not evenessential that the paperfeed click should impinge directly upon thepaper, as the paper may be passed over a drum and the drum rotated bythe feed-click engaging in the teeth of a ratchetwheel upon the shaft ofthe same.

I will also mention that when it is required that reverse currentsshould be used, so as to enable the punching mechanism to be controlledby a polarized relay whose lever operates the magnet m, two punches maybe used, one under the other, but separated, say, onethirty-second of aninch, and the locking mechanism so arranged that when m is closed thetop punch will enter the paper, and when open the eccentric will belocked to the other punch when it enters the paper, thus causing thespaces between the characters in the upper row to have perforationsimmediately below them in the second row. In this case thetransmitting-drum is to be provided with two grooves and twocontact-springs, one connected to the positive pole of a battery, whilethe other is connected to the negative pole of another battery, thusallowing the transmission of alternate currents. Even one battery couldbe used and the springs arranged to reverse the same.

I claim as my invention- 1. The punch and die a b and notched coupler e,in combination with the eccentric p, fork k, and electro-magnet m,substantially as set forth.

2. In a perforating apparatus, a continuously-revolving shaft and astep-by-step feed, operated thereby, in combination with apunch that isactuated by the shaft while the paper is quiescent, a coupler to connectthe power and the punch, and an electro-magnet to move such coupler,substantially as set forth.

3. Punch and paper-feeding mechanism reciprocated. by the eccentrics pand s, when the Signed by me this 30th day of October, A.

same are arranged in such a position that the D. 1876.

paper is only fed when the punch is clear of the die. THOS. A. EDISON.

4. The transmitter consisting of a drum,

a, contact-points and springs e d '1", electric Witnesses:

engine n, and governor m k Z, all arranged GEO. T. PINOKNEY,

and operated substantially as specified, and. HAROLD SERRELL.

for the purposes set forth.

